Marathon

by Christian Cameron

Reviewed by David Maclaine

Marathon,
second in Christian Cameron's "Long War" series, continues the story
begun in Killer of Men, and it's
every bit as riveting. When it begins, the series’ protagonist Arimnestos is
back home in Plataea,
apparently happy at his forge and settled into local life. All too soon he
finds himself embroiled in a blood feud and transported back to take part in
the ongoing war in the islands. Surrounded by friends made in the earlier book,
he is drawn into the struggle for the city of Miletus, and the naval operations that decide
its fate. Those who know the outlines of history will be unsurprised that he
survives fierce sea battles that claim the lives of many of those friends and
that his return home is only a prelude to a pivotal campaign that will decide
the fate of the free Greek cities.

Cameron sustains and even occasionally surpasses
the high level he attained in Killer of
Men;Marathon is now the version for the reader of fiction
who wants to understand what it felt like to fight in one of history's most
famous battles. If the first book impressed with its insight into the
psychology of a man who has mastered the art of killing face to face, the
sequel adds fresh details to our picture of how men think and feel on the field
of battle. Cameron is especially skillful in portraying the stages of the
physical and mental fatigue that can leave the armor-clad combatant nearly
catatonic by the time the killing ends. My satisfaction at the end of this fine
novel was enhanced by the news that Cameron's "Long War" series will
continue. He hints that this is merely the second leg of an Iron Man
competition, one that will not only carry us across the next decade until we
reach the famous battles of Salamis and Plataea, but may also include the
little-known battles fought on the Long War's western front. (2011, 375 pages)